Family is an 'F' Word
by PuffleHuffWriting
Summary: Family life is hard enough, but when both your parents are superheroes, that complicates things. And the rest of the family? Only gets weirder. Super family life for Peter Rogers-Stark
1. Chapter 1

**Quick author note::: I was inspired to do this one listening to my own siblings ramble about super family, so I'm starting this adoption AU. Aunt May Parker is out of the picture, replaced with "Aunt Mae" Madeline Mae Stark- Her name a play on the classic Aunt May. Probably slow burn Maddie/Bruce eventually- Bruce and the family aren't really even friends just yet. This is probably a slow start but I have quite a bit hashed out. I hope you like it! More answers will come as the plot fills out. This is just an intro to the idea to see if anyone is interested.**

 **You know Marvel owns these babies, not me.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

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Steve Rogers-Stark tossed the keys to his motorcycle in the catch all bowl at the door to his home. He froze, listening when he thought he heard laughter from the upstairs sitting room. It was mid-afternoon, Tony would be at work for hours yet, and it wasn't nearly time for him to pick Peter up from school. Slowly, he made his way over to the stairs, taking his small handgun from the the holster pocket on his leather riding jacket.

He froze at the top landing and listened again. The sound was definitely his son laughing. But why, and better yet, how, was he home at this time of day? He returned the safety on the handgun and called out. "Pete?"

"We're in here!" A humored female voice replied, answering all his questions.

"Madeline?" He ask as if it weren't obvious who was speaking. "I didn't see your car..."

"Yeah, sorry. I called Tony he said it was cool if I got Pete early since I haven't seen you boys in like a month. "I parked in the lower deck. I should have texted you! I thought he would." He found his sister-in-law cross legged on the floor beside of Peter, two classes of milk and a plate of cookies on the table in front of the television.

"Oh its always fine. You know that." He came on into the room, letting his guard down. "How was school, bud?" Steve ask, ruffling his son's light brown hair as he came into the room. He bent down and gave Madeline a kiss on the cheek.

"Boring. But Aunt Mae came and got me and was telling me about Dad's arrest record?" The twelve year old grinned.

"She's doing what now?" Steve questioned, smiling at his son, but giving a sparing glance to the young woman in the floor, who laughed.

"They were talking about the difference in vigilante justice and sanctioned action in social studies, Steve. Don't lay an egg." Madeline stuck her tongue out at the blond and continued. "And he asked me if what you guys did was vigilantism."

"We're employed my SHIELD, bud." Steve said, and Madeline seemed to pick up on his confusion.

"Oh my- Ah! Do you not know either?" She said, sitting forward, obviously excited. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?" The AI answered from the speaker in the ceiling.

"Roll the news tape from Tony's arrest." She said, grabbing her glass of milk and coming to join her brother in law on the couch. "This, dear Cap," She said, leaning into his shoulder, "Is the vigilantism of which I speak."

Steve watched as the CNN news cast set stone faced and began to read the headline; 'STARK INDUSTRIES HEIR ARRESTED IN ASSAULT CASE' and a very, very entertained, almost giddy mugshot of a smiling Tony flashed behind the anchor who was giving details.

"I don't get it..." Steve said.

"Shh- Its about to get to the part where he's leaving the jail on bail! They talk to him!" She said, swatting over at him. Steve watched as the screen cut to a group of lawyers walking around a younger, arch-reactor free Tony.

'Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark! Care to give a statement?' the called. The lawyers obviously didn't want him to speak, and were trying to usher him along, but Tony stopped and turned to the cameras in his face.

'Yeah, I would. To the son-*blurred mouth and beeping* who laid his *another censored comment* hands on my sister,' Tony leaned into the camera 'Son, you better hope I don't see you again.' He blew a kiss into the camera nd the video cut back to the news room.

'We now have the details released that the charges placed on the young billionaire Tony Stark were due to a domestic assault on his younger sister, Madeline Stark. Sources say that the accused was a twenty-two year old classmate of the young woman, who she had been dating for a while and allegedly had physically abused Mr. Stark's sister on multiple occasions.'

"Cut video, JARVIS." Madeline said, and the television returned to its rest screen with the Stark Industries logo.

"That was not what I expected." Steve said, sitting back.

"Of course, the Judge only gave Tony like a thousand dollar fine for the public disturbance, but it was absolutely awesome." She laughed. "Tony really handed his ass to him."

"What had happened, Aunt Mae?" Peter ask.

"Maddie Mae, please watch the language, we're trying to raise a gentleman." Steve reminded her, but she rolled her large brown eyes and looked back to her nephew.

"Well, you know your dad was basically raising me too, right? So after your grandparents died, he was super protective. I mean- I was just seven when that happened... Anyway, I was in my second year at MIT and got tangled up with this guy... His name is unimportant. We dated a bit and he decided to try and control and hit me. Well, I was young, seventeen actually, and stupid, so I let it happen. Then Tony came by to bring me some things for my dorm and he found my face all busted up. He immediately went and found the guy at his job on campus at one of the snack bars and he beat him to a pulp."

"Cool." Peter said.

"Probably a good thing that was before Iron Man or there wouldn't have been anything left to threaten..." Steve said under his breath.

"Maddie and I have laughed about that several times, I promise." Tony's voice sounded from the doorway. The three turned to see him propped up on the door frame, humored look on his face. "I don't, however, remember giving you permission to tell my boys my deep, dark past."

"Shut up, Tone." Madeline laughed. Tony made his way over to the couch and he wiggled himself into the nonexistent space left between his husband and sister.

"I get why Pete didn't know, but why didn't you tell me?" Steve ask, pretending to be offended as Tony kissed his cheek and shook his sister's bun, messing up her hair.

"Because it involved telling that all those things happened to Madeline Mae, and those are her things." Tony answered. He turned himself slightly and laid back onto Steve and kicked his feet over Madeline and onto the arm rest. "So- Maddie, tell me about Japan!"

"Spoilers! If I tell you now, what will I pretend to inform our board about tomorrow?" She laughed. Tony rolled his eyes and gestured for her to continue. "Right. Well, they are on board- all investors are very, very interested in the cradle. We have some neurosurgeons we're looking at and they agree that the tissue printing tech is probably years off, but we have the backing to start trying."

"Yes! I knew they'd love you!." Tony said. "Hey, Petey, hand dad a cookie." He said, catching the tossed sweet.

"So- I guess that means we get to eat good to celebrate, right?" Peter said, sitting up further.

"Do you not feed this boy when I'm not here?" Madeline laughed. "That is always the first thing he wants to do!"

"Pops makes us eat healthy food." He wrinkled his nose.

"Pops is the worst like that." Steve said mocking back the same face. Tony tiled his head back and looked up at Steve, who needed no further prompting for him and Peter to leave the room. "Come on, Pete. Lets get you out of your school uniform and you can think about where you want to go, since you always pick anyway..." He pried himself off the small couch and guided his son from the room.

"So-" Tony said sitting up, face to face with his younger sibling. He looked worried, which annoyed her just a bit. "What time is your scan?"

"It's at two fifteen on Tuesday. And really, I'm twenty six years old, Tony. You don't have to go to the oncologist with me anymore. I've been free for years." She reminded him.

"I will stop going with you when I'm dead- Like it or not. I want to hear it for myself." Tony bit back.

"Seriously, brother, you have enough going on. You have a son hitting puberty, project your worry on him. Whatever was in that serum you had pumped in me at hospice back in the day is holding up great. I'm fine." She reached over and squeezed his hand.

"No. No I really need to hear it for myself." Tony said, shaking his head. Madeline laughed.

"I do not know how Steve lives with you." She said, standing up. "Look," She held her hand up and the tips of her fingers glowed a radioactive-bright shade of green. She picked up a cookie and it burned in her hand. She tossed the charred crumbs in a nearby flower pot. "See? Whatever it is is holding up fine." Tony swallowed tightly.

"The scientist I had help me formulate that... Maddie-" He shook his head. "Did you see the news about the thing they're calling 'Hulk'? That is him. He cured stage four cancer in you with that serum. He was looking at the serum dad had used on Steve and the one we cock-tailed for you- He has been trying all this time to duplicate the results without the weird, super-powered side effects you and Steve both have. His lab exploded and the radiation turned him into the big green beast."

"Okay?" She questioned. "I mean yeah, that sucks. But what does that have to do with me?" Tony sighed.

"I just want to hear the doctors say the PET scan is clear and the blood work is all normal. Okay?" He pleaded.

"Fiiiiiine." She whined. "Whatever, _dad._ " she added. She meant it sarcastically, but as Madeline walked off to the guest room she always occupied when she stayed with her family, she couldn't help but think about where she would be without her brother. She shook her head, thankful he had been there for her when their parents had their crash.

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 **Let me know if you like it and want to see more!**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Trigger warning- There is some hate speech ahead. I had no pleasure even typing the word at all, but things like this happen because bullies do exist. So, just be aware.**

 **Thanks for reading! Enjoy the chapter!**

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 ****Peter woke up to the smell of maple syrup and chocolate- and he knew. It was an unspoken tradition for whoever was given charge of him when his fathers were called out on a mission to make him chocolate chip pancakes when they were going to have to give him bad news. Happy, Aunt Pepper and Uncle Phil, Aunt Maddie Mae, they all knew the drill. But Peter knew that it would be Maddie, since she was already there.

He came down into the kitchen, still pajama clad, and silently slid up onto one of the barstools at the breakfast bar.

"Good morning, Pete!" Maddie called over her shoulder, flipping a pancake and catching it back in the skillet.

"Where to this time?" He ask, his voice doing little to hide his emotions. He had plenty of practice with this.

"South African mine collapse. The collapse was actually caused by a human trafficking ring, who was selling child labor for the mine, and when they were discovered they blew the exists to cover the evidence. So your Pops and Phil are on search and rescue, Phil is SHIELD lead on the site. And your dad is going after the outfit who did it." She said, bringing him up to speed.

"That's not too bad." Peter sighed.

"Nah, not compared to some of them." She agreed. She slid him a plate of pancakes. "Eat up, its Wednesday- which means soccer after school. You need the strength!"

* * *

A few days passed without incident. A few check in calls from either Tony or Steve when they had a spare second, but mostly Madeline stuck near their house or the office so she could be with Peter.

Then on Friday, her phone rang.

Madeline hated the sound of her own heels against the tile floor in the school as she made the familiar trip to the principal's office. She'd made this trip several times when she was forced to be a student here, when Tony enrolled her because, in his words, 'You're a Stark, and dad went, and I had to go, so now you do too.' And this of course, was also done to Peter.

She did admit it was a perfectly good STEM based primary academy, and she knew that her father had given a fair bit of money over the years, as evidenced in the Howard Stark Memorial Computer Lab, which she passed as she walked through the quiet halls. When she came to the office door, she paused, checked her hair in the reflection off a picture hanging nearby, straightened her skirt, and prepared herself for the meeting.

When she walked into the office, the secretary smiled and stood, coming around from behind the small intake desk. "Dr. Stark! How good to see you!" The elderly lady said, giving Maddie a small hug.

"Mrs. Tallon!" She greeted. "How are you?"

"Oh, just lovely dear!" She said, retaking her seat. Madeline smiled. She'd always liked Mrs. Tallon, who had worked at the school for more years that she could manage to count, at least since before Tony had been there. "I'm so sorry to have had to call you dear, you know Peter is always such a sweet boy..."

"What happened?" She asked, crossing her arms. Mrs. Tallon opened her mouth to keep speaking, but the door to the principal's office behind the secretary desk opened abruptly and both women turned.

"Ah, good." The Principal, a short, broad fellow Madeline was not familiar with spoke up, straightening his tie, "You've arrived."

"Yes?" She answered, eyebrow raised. She could see over his shoulder that Peter was in the corner seat in front of his desk, eyes on the floor.

"Well, come on in." He said, gesturing and moving away, almost letting the door swing shut in her face. Maddie snorted, but let it go as she entered. She walked over to Peter and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You good, bud?" She said, sitting down in the chair next to him. She noted some slight bruising on his left cheek as he looked up. Peter started to speak but the principal spoke over him.

"No, absolutely not!" He all but bellowed, and Madeline turned to him, again eyebrow raised. She already felt like this rude man was on thin ice, and it was probably good she was here and not Tony, but she waited to see what he had to say. "He has caused quite a bit of trouble! Do you not know why we called you here, Miss. Stark?"

"Doctor." She and Peter corrected at the same time, and Maddie couldn't help but smirk at her nephew's offensiveness.

"Pardon?" He said, sitting forward in his chair.

"Doctor Stark." She said casually. "I'm on your alumni wall, if you need a full list of credentials, but I won't be trivialized by anyone. Three PhDs is enough for you to address me as Doctor Stark. I was going to just introduce myself as Madeline, but I somehow feel like we're not going to be first-name basis, Mr.?

"Thompson." He finished. "And your nephew started a fight with a boy in the school yard! Blacked the child's eye and bloodied his nose!"

Maddie kept a stone face but turned to Peter, her soft brown eyes reading his face. "Is that true, Pete?" Peter didn't move much, he simply shrugged, then nodded.

"See! No remorse other than in getting caught!" Mr. Thompson was nearly shouting again, and Madeline's patience with the man was wearing thin.

"Peter," Maddie said, not turning from her nephew, "What happened?"

"I told you what-" the principal tried to interrupt again, but Maddie snapped her head around, some of her dark hair falling into her eyes, which she pushed back. She held up a hand and silenced the man, who huffed but flopped back into his chair.

"Pete, baby, tell me what happened. This isn't like you." She said softly. "I know you didn't start it."

"Pops taught me better than that." Peter said quietly.

"Yeah." She whispered. "Can you just tell us what happened? I won't be mad."

"I was out near the four-square court with MJ and Ned, and I think maybe Kyle..." Peter started, finally looking up at Maddie, "And MJ was talking about seeing dad talking about the missing children they'd recovered from the collapse on the news. So she Ned said something about dad and pops being heroes, and this guy Flash, he came up and said-" Peter looked like his stomach was sour, and he hesitated, but after a moment he looked back up at Maddie's eyes and continued. -"something. So I hit him."

"See? He attacked the boy!" Thompson said, slapping the desk. "I have grounds to suspend him right here!"

"Peter?" Maddie said, still ignoring the man on the other side of the desk. "I need to know what this Flash kid said. You wouldn't just do that. I know you better than that." She waited, but Peter shook his head.

"I can't." He said, and tears welled up in his large brown eyes.

"Sweetheart." She said, sitting forward, a hand on each shoulder. "Please tell me. Quietly, if you need to."

"He-" Peter choked up, "He said they, Dad and Pops, they're not heroes. And he called them f-" He took a deep, shaky breath, "He called them faggots."

Madeline blinked for a moment, then stood up and pulled Peter close to her in a protective grip. She turned to the principal, her eyes narrowed and teeth gritted. "Well? Is something going to be done to address this?" She demanded.

"The victim?" Thompson questioned.

"The offender, speaker of hate speech. Surely you wouldn't punish a child who acted out due to a racial slur. Why is this different?" She said firmly. She watched the man thinking.

"I believe this is an uneven reaction. Peter should have spoken to a teacher about the comment, not act physically." He insisted.

"And if someone were to, say, insult your parents?" She demanded. "Are there not certain things you'd allow to bypass that logic? This child is twelve years old. He has to worry about his parents risking their lives for this country- a country which still far too often uses that very description for them. Selflessly. He has enough on his plate. And this isn't even the first time he's told me or his fathers about this 'Flash' giving him trouble. So, really, if you want to suspend him, fine. Do it. But Flash better be suspended as well- because if not, I won't be able to help what sort of lawsuit for discrimination Tony will have drafted when he gets home. And I can promise you that if the other boy isn't punished equally, the substantial donation from Stark Industries that keeps the labs and computers here humming will suddenly walk out with Peter's transfer transcript."

"I don't see where you get-" The man tried to interrupt.

"No, no." She said, hand up again. "You started this meeting, meaning to disrespect me and my family. You know who I am, and yet you addressed me incorrectly after allowing the door to shut in my face. You did not introduce yourself when I came in. You boasted Peter's crimes forward as if it were random, and honestly I doubt you even ask him his side."

"He didn't." Peter sheepishly confirmed.

"Then you insist this other boy should be allowed to think that hate speech is alright for him to get by with because he faces no consequences and Peter did. And I know Peter threw the first punch, but I can plainly see that he didn't throw the only ones. They had a fight. Children do. But you punish them both or you punish neither." She said, still standing. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Dr. Stark." Thompson confirmed with a tight, reluctant nod.

"So what do you think we should do? Suspend them both?" She said.

"I don't think that will be necessary after all." He said, finally. "A weeks detentions each, separately of course."

"Lovely. Effective when?" She said stiffly.

"Well, as it is the end of the week, Monday after school will be fine." He said. "I'll inform the other child's parents of the arrangement."

"Thank you." She smiled, reaching a hand out to Peter, who stood and got behind her. "Have a lovely afternoon, Mr. Thompson."

"And you." He said, his voice sour, hateful, but respectful enough for Maddie to let go. She led Peter out after a brief word of good day to Mrs. Tallon, and down to the car which she'd left parked in the front circle. There was still an hour yet left in school, but Maddie decided it was best to go ahead and bring Peter on home.

Peter was mostly silent in the car, and Maddie allowed it at first, but after a while she spoke up.

"I'm proud of you, Pete." She said, not looking over from the road.

"Pops isn't going to be." He said quietly. "I know dad will, but he won't."

"Why do you think that, sweetie?" She said, saddened that he felt this way.

"He hates bullies." Peter replied.

"And?" Maddie said, confused.

"I hit Flash first. I started the fight." He said, his voice shaky like before. Maddie hit the blinker and pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the road.

"Oh, sweetheart," She said, letting her seatbelt go and pulling Peter into a hug and kissing his forehead. "No, that is not what happened. You stood up for your family. To a bully. You weren't the bully." She assured him.

"Promise?" Peter asked sadly, wiping his eyes.

"Pinky promise." She said, holding her little finger out, which he shook with his own.


	3. Chapter 3

_'Miss Stark?' the voice of the house manager from Madeline's dorm sounded from behind her.  
'Yes, ma'am?' she replied, an arm load of books in tote, balanced on her hip as she stopped and turned to face who was addressing her.  
'Phone is for you.' She said, nodding to the multi-line land line phone on the counter in the lobby of her dorm building's lobby. Madeline huffed, but knew it wasn't Tony or Pepper at least, who both had her cell number.  
'Hello, This is Madeline Stark?' She spoke into the receiver after picking up the blinking 'LINE 1' call.  
'Yes, ma'am. This is Phil Coulson. We've met before, at your brother's house.' the man on the other end of the line said.  
'Of course. Strategically long agency of secrets agent, right?' she joked. She heard him stifle a snort. 'I remember you.'  
'Madeline, I was wondering, we tried to get in touch with Tony, but he isn't available. Could you possibly come to-'  
'Agent Coulson, I'm in my surgical residency at school at the moment, and Columbia U has very strict policy on them.' She replied.  
'It is urgent, I promise.' She heard him say. 'Trust me, it really needs to be you since Tony won't take my calls, we can take care of the school.'  
Madeline let out a long sigh.  
'Send someone to pick me up.' She said, hanging up the phone._

 _Not that she should have expected differently, SHIELD sent an agent in a car with blacked out windows to pick her up and take her on what was nearly an hour's ride, mostly due to traffic. She was ushered into a sterile white facility. Once inside she was met by Phil Coulson outside a door. The agents who had brought her this far left without saying a word._

 _'Phil!' she greeted. 'Have you asked Pepper out yet?' she teased, making the agent blush only slightly._  
 _'Haven't actually had the pleasure of seeing her, since that little Iron Monger incident you and your brother had back in November.' He replied. 'Been a bit busy with, well, this.'_  
 _'I see. So. What is this?' She questioned, tilting her head, allowing her long dark hair to flop enough so that she took a hair tie from her wrist and tied in a loose bun on the back of her head._  
 _'MIA Army Captain Rogers of the 107th Infantry.' Coulson replied._  
 _'Captain AMERICA?' Maddie gasped. 'You're kidding! Where did they find his body? Are we sure it's the right one?' She ask, now more intrigued._  
 _'Well, Because we didn't find a body...' Phil said. 'And Howard was his emergency contact for stateside contact. And since-'_  
 _'Wait. Wait a minute- He's ALIVE?' She squeaked. 'How?'_  
 _'Natural cryogenics, thanks to an Antarctic storm.' He said. 'And again, the only contact we had for him was your father. But since he's no longer with us...'_  
 _'He's mine and Tony's responsibility?' She guessed. Coulson shrugged and opened the door. Inside a not entirely unhomey little hospital room sat a bed, desk and chair, and an armchair which had a young blonde man sitting in it, looking over what appeared to be several case files. Madeline assumed they were trying to being him up speed.  
'Captain Rogers, this is Madeline. She's Howard's daughter.' Coulson introduced the two. The blond man looked over with large, confused blue eyes. He furrowed his brow as he looked her over.  
'You look like Howard.' He said quietly.  
'So I've been told. I don't remember him well.' She said, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed. Coulson gingerly shut the door as he left the room.  
'So- They tell me you can help me figure out where I go from here...' He said.  
_

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Steve Rogers had just shut his eyes. It had been a hard day, but hopefully, the last one he would have to spend this far from home. Tony was face down next to him on the ground, wad of blankets stuffed under his head. The tent overhead rustled slightly in the breeze, but it was a nice ambiance to fall asleep to- until Tony's phone rang out, breaking the silence. Steve groaned and sat straight up, grabbing the glowing offender and looking at the screen, only disturbing Tony enough to get a small snort out of him as he snored on.

He blinked into the light until his eyes adjusted and he could see Peter's cheesy grin on the caller ID, under the time stamp of 04:25 AM. "Son?" Steve said groggily.

"Pops!" Peter bust, he sounded out of breath and maybe even scared.

"Pete, do you have any idea what time it is?" He said, rubbing one side of his face. He tried to keep up but suddenly Peter was spouting out words quicker than Steve could keep up, his voice high pitched and frantic. "Pe- Peter? Peter slow down!" He was yelling now, trying to talk loud enough to get the boy's attention. He kicked at Tony, who was already starting to wake up now that he was getting louder.

"Angel?" Tony blinked, his nose scrunched up as he tried to get his barrings. "What's going on?"

"I can't get him to calm down..." Steve said, his hand over the speaker on the bottom of the phone. "Call Maddie." He tossed his own phone over to Tony, who dialed Maddie. The phone immediately went to voicemail.

"I'm going up there." Tony said, on his feet, pulling the case he kept his suit in out of the corner of the tent and popping it open. He tossed Steve his phone back to him. "Text Rhodes an 'SOS' to the house. He'll be there within ten minutes."

"Pete- What do you mean Maddie passed out- Is she okay?" Steve finally said. Tony froze, pieces of the suit partially on and secured. He snatched the phone from Steve's ear.

"Peter listen to me. I know you're scared, but this is very important. Is you aunt glowing?" He checked Steve's phone where Rhodey sent back a '10-76' code. "Peter, can you do something very important for me, son? I need you to run down to the lab and get the case over by where Pops parks his bike- The green and black one with '009' painted on it. It has wheels. Wheel it up to the kitchen and open it, JARVIS will take care of it from there. Once it is activated and JARVIS confirms it, get out of the house. Rhodey will be there soon. We love you, son." He clicked the phone off.

"Tony?" Steve looked over where Tony was standing letting his armor climb his body and lock in place.

"The regulator failed." Tony said, his voice broken.

"Regulator?" He questioned, not knowing what to do, or understanding what was happening.

"I installed a regulator in her skull, right behind her ear, what controls the radiation in her body from the serum that I gave her when she had cancer. It had side effects, and she can burn things and produce heat. The regulator keeps her from essentially turning into a full out torch. I don't have time to get into that, and I'm sure we will have a good, long argument about the morality of implanting experimental technology in my sister's head after curing her disease with experimental chemicals." Tony stepped over where Steve stood, stone faced and listening. He leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I love you, but I have to go. I'm the only one who can repair her." He stepped out of the tent and activated the boosters in the feet of the Iron Man suit, rocketing off flying for home.

* * *

"We seem to keep running into each other in places like this.." Steve said quietly as he watched Madeline's eyes flutter a bit and open. She tried to pull her arm up but found herself in padded restraints. "Hang on." He said, and stood up, sticking his head out in the hallway, returning with a nurse. The nurse ask Madeline for her pain level as she removed the restraints from her arms and legs, ran a set of vitals and walked back out.

"Okay, I give up." Maddie said, wincing as she tried to set herself up a bit in the bed. "Where am I?"

"Memorial Hope, room six-twenty-one B. The thing Tony put in your head failed." Steve said casually, texting on his phone.

."What?!" She sat straight up, hurting herself. She clutched her head and felt the bandage that covered her cranium. "Steve! I could have killed Peter! Is he okay?" She demanded. Steve smiled gently.

"Yes, he's fine. Tony took him to school and then went home for his turn sleeping. You've been here three days." He sat forward and took her hand in his for a moment. "I texted Tony. He'll be over in about half an hour."

"No, Steve," Madeline drew her knees up to her chest. "I could have _killed_ your _child_."

"Madeline- Peter is absolutely fine. And besides- I have found, that most of this is really your brother's fault. We had a long, long fight about it. But, you know, once he started crying about how they said you were going to die, and that you had been through so many treatments and surgeries that you had ask him to just let you die- He told me about reaching out to the guy who formulated the stuff that saved you- and why you need the thing..." He tapped the side of his head where the seem covering the implant was on her.

"Did it scare him?" She ask quietly.

"I mean, yeah. He called freaking out and I couldn't get him to calm down. But once we figured out it was you, Tony took the phone and had him drag that suit up to the kitchen where you were in the floor. JARVIS activated it and apparently it contained the breakdown long enough for Rhodes to fly you out and Tony to come and put a new one in. Then he brought you here, where you received a couple rounds of IV antibiotics." Steve watched as the young brunette let a tear slide down her face.

"Steve, I am so, so sorry." She whispered. "I- You trusted me with Peter, and I-"

"Stop it." Tony said, as he came into the room in a hurry and sat down next to her on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her over to him. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Tony..." She choked out, sobbing. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Peter is fine. The house is fine. You're fine." He shushed Maddie. "I'm sorry too."

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 **Thanks for reading! Maybe leave a review?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**TW: Mentions of suicidal/ self harm thoughts. Just heads up on that.  
Made some character choices, took some advice. Hope you like it!  
Enjoy!**

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Tony sat stone still, listening as his oldest friend recounted the events again. It was a sickeningly familiar to hear Rhodey tell him what had happened, what Maddie had said. He felt Steve reach over and squeeze his hand in comfort. "She really- I've never seen her like that, Tony." Rhodey finished his story. He'd told Tony about how he found her, glowing like fire, bright green, from her eyes, fingertips, and screaming in pain. The regulator in her head failed, and Tony felt every bit of that failure on himself.

"She said the same thing to me. Just- Just a fifteen year old kid. She looked at me and begged. 'Tony, please. Just let me go. It hurts. Just let me go.' But I didn't listen. And I did this to her. Then I thought I had fixed it when I put that fucking thing in her skull. But I guess I made it worse..." He jerk away from Steve's grip and the table they'd been sitting in. The airmen across the table looked down, scared for both his friend and Madeline.

"Tony, Sweetheart, stop it." Steve spun him around, one hand on his shoulders, the other under Tony's chin, bringing him eye to eye with his taller husband. "Madeline doesn't blame you. She adores you."

"She was hurting so much, but she was just a kid. She was all I had. I was selfish, and now she has to live like this, and we don't even know where she went? Its on me. My parents died and they gave her to me. She was... Is... My responsibility. Same as Peter." Tony shook his head away.

"Tones-" James stood from the table and came over, firmly gripping Tony's shoulders. "Madeline is a grown woman, and now that she's safe she's not going to take herself away from you. Or Steve and Peter. Mostly Steve and Peter. She likes them best." Rhodey smiled and waited, and Tony cracked up. They both shared a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah..." Tony agreed.

"That 'Against Medical Advise' form was only signed eighteen hours ago, Doll. She may have went to her DC place. Or one of the vacation places?" Steve suggested.

"JARVIS said none of the properties have been accessed." Tony made his way over to a couch and flopped himself heavily down, covering his eyes with one hand.

"She's a big girl, man. And a tough one. She can hold her own- and if she doesn't want to be found, she won't be. She is a Stark, you know." Rhodey reminded him. Steve laughed.

"He's got you there. If she wanted to talk, she'd answer her phone. If she'd wanted you to know where she was, JARVIS would be able to tell you. She's hiding." Steve added.

"Probably just needed some time." Rhodey suggested.

"Wasn't she seeing that neurosurgeon?" Steve ask. "What was his name?" He snapped his fingers several times trying to think of the name.

"Weird?" Rhodey put out. Steve snapped again and pointed over at him.

"No, Strange. Dr. Strange." He said. "She might have went somewhere with that guy." They watched Tony, both concerned, as he seemed to be considering what the other two men had said.

"She hasn't talked to that idiot in a while. Apparently he was far too fascinated with the implant and she felt like he might have only been after information about that... But, now that you mention it, I think there actually is one other place I bet she could be, where StarkTech would not report her..." He jumped up and grabbed his phone.

'Tony?' The voice on the other end of the line questioned. 'Are you okay? You're supposed to be off.'

"Hey Pep, how you feeling?" Tony ask, smiling.

* * *

Pepper covered the mouthpiece on her phone, making a face at her pajama-clad house guest who froze in place, attempting not to make any noise. Then she spoke. "Tony?" She ask.

'Hey Pep, how you feeling?' Her best friend ask. Pepper swallowed, knowing she was about to have to lie to Tony. She hated lying to Tony.

"Oh you know, morning sickness is fading, our stocks are up three points, and there isn't any rain in the forecast. So I'm pretty good. Thanks. How are you boys this morning? Peter get his science thing done yet?" She looked over at Madeline, who was sitting frozen at the breakfast table, next to her husband, who looked amused but kept eating.

'We're good. Yeah Peter got his biodome all done yesterday...' Tony trailed off.

"You good, boss?" Pepper ask, the old nickname she'd used for him for years now.

'Oh, yeah, yeah. Just- Hey. Have you heard from Mae? She checked herself out of the hospital yesterday, Steve and I haven't actually heard from her.' Tony confessed.

"Have I heard from Mae?" She repeated. Madeline shook her head lightly, wincing as the movement blurred her vision. "No, not today. But I'm sure she is fine. She wouldn't take risk leaving poor Steve and Peter alone with you." She joked. She stood up and waddled her way out of the kitchen.

"He's not going to give up, you know." Phil Coulson said as Pepper got out of earshot to continue her phone call.

"Pepper's word is gospel to Tony, and she just told him that I'm not here. So I'm not here." She replied, sticking her tongue out. "I just need to be away from them for a bit. I can't go home, they'll follow me. Pepper can handle letting work know I'm gone for a bit. I need a Tony-Free period." She confessed.

"You actually thought our house was a 'Tony-Free-Zone'?" Phil snorted. "You know Pepper lives here, right? Sometimes he just shows up. Passed out on the couch. Or our bed. I have literally had to lay with him between Pepper and I before." He laughed.

"You knew how weirdly close their friendship was when you married her, my friend." She reminded him.

"Wouldn't trade it, really. Tony and Steve keep her much safer than SHIELD can offer." He said honestly. "But, since you're crashing for a couple days... Could I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything for James Bond." She laughed.

"Lola could use some TLC, and I as you know, she's a special lady. Requires Stark hands." He said fondly. "You know, it's your dad's unreleased tech. Not many people around who can understand her..."

"What's bugging Lola?" Madeline ask, smiling at Phil's fondness for the old Corvette.

"The flight module seems to stick, it's hard to get her on the ground once she's up. Of course, there is always finding a roof to sit her on and let her cool off, but it'd be better for her to work properly." He sighed.

"I'll see what she and I can work out." Maddie said with a wink. Phil stood and cleared away both his and Madeline's breakfast dishes, and he refilled Pepper's juice before putting the pitcher away. They both looked over to the doorway as they heard Pepper's bare feet coming.

"Yeah, yeah I will. Love you, too, Boss. Kiss Pete and Steve for me. And French Steve for Phil." She laughed, and Tony could be heard laughing on the other end of the phone as she hung up. Madeline had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Phil, however, did not look so amused.

"Ha Ha." He mocked. "As if the two of you have no heroes."

"Steve has nothing on Rita Levi-Montalcini." Maddie snorted. "She is hard core. You know she couldn't even pursue science in Mussolini's Italy? She made a lab at home. Her work paved the way for my nervous simulator implants. She's the one who discovered the Nerve growth factor protein. Everything my nervous system simulators and prosthetics work with, it's because of her. She's my hero." She replied. He glanced over at Pepper, who smiled and shrugged.

"To be fair, if you said that to Tony, he would have some scientist ready to rattle off about too, and he's _married_ to Steve. He's just a guy to them." She reminded her husband. He seemed to admit defeat, and stood, walking over to the touch pad on the wall. A light scanned his palm and a secret opening slid up in the wall, sliding out a shelf with his duty gun and badge on it. He moved over and kissed Pepper.

"I love you, Pep." He said softly. He bent down and kissed her very round stomach. "And you, little one." He waved as he started to leave.

"I love you too, Phil!" Madeline yelled after him.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Mae." He called as the door shut. Pepper looked her friend over and sighed.

"What?" Maddie questioned.

"Tony is panicking. No joke. Sick to his stomach, panicking." She said.

"Imagine that. Tony- Panicking over Mae. Stop the presses." She said dully. Pepper huffed.

"Madeline." Pepper scolded. "We're all worried about you. He told me what you said to Rhodey."

"Oh damn, Pepper. I'm not going to hurt myself. I was going full Chernobyl. I was scared, I was hurting. I wanted it to end." She explained. "I don't feel that pain now. I'm good." She patted Pepper's hand and smiled. Pepper noticed that while it was a brilliant, beautiful smile, it didn't reach her dark eyes. She was very much like her brother that way.

"We all adore you, Madeline." She comforted.

"I know. I just-" she paused and took her phone from her fluffy robe pocket and silenced the incoming call that was ringing.

"Tony?" Pepper guessed.

"Stephen." She answered with a sigh. "He wanted to 'talk' and 'make sure I'm okay'. But-" She shook her head. Pepper tilted her own, concerned.

"You liked him, didn't you?" She said softly. Madeline shrugged.

"Men mostly want money, or fame, or to get to Tony through me. He was a gorgeous, independently wealthy neurosurgeon. I thought he would be someone who I would be able to talk to and he would care about what I had to say, not dollar signs or headlines." She huffed. Pepper looked saddened for her.

"Oh, Mae..." She whispered. Maddie simply shrugged.

"Not like I have time for this domestic thing." She said, and she gave another masking smile. "As I was saying. I need to get away. I was thinking about doing Doctors without Boarders of some sort." She confessed. "Get some more miles on my soul. Dirt on my hands."

Pepper sat up more, eyes wide. She slapped at the table. "Oh! How would India be?" She ask.

"Well, my Hindi is a bit rusty, but workable." she nodded, "Why?"

"Tony! He sends supplies to the guy who did your..." She gestured. "Cure. As payment. Has me authorize the medical supplies each month. They've never met, plausible deniability for both, apparently. Dr. David Banner. I think he goes by his middle name. Bruce. He's doing free medical work. I'm sure he could use the extra help. As far as I know it's just him and he treats anyone so people come from miles around."

"Sounds perfect." Madeline agreed. "When does the next shipment leave out?"

"Day after tomorrow." Pepper reported.

"Awesome. I'll go make a couple adjustments to my accounts and grab my passport." She said, heading up to change out of her pajamas.

"Wait. Mae." Pepper called. "I just- I need to tell you-"

"Huh?" She replied.

"That pixie cut- it is very cute." She said, gesturing to the new short cut Madeline had due to the shaved side of her hair because of the implant which sat like a chrome vine behind her ear. The hair would grow around it, but she did not want it to be horribly uneven.

"Thanks! What's the 'but'?" She grinned.

"It makes you look JUST like Tony." She laughed. Madeline rolled her eyes and continued on.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. I know I said I was doing a slow burn with Bruce, which I may still do, but someone DM'ed me the idea about Stephen Strange. So I hope you like the idea of that sort of love triangle. He's not going to be around much, as this is before his accident/ magic and is still kind of a jerk.**

 **Thank you all for reading! Please review what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

Peter was too quiet- Both Steve and Tony were overly aware of it. He'd came home from school with nearly no comment- Done his homework, loaded the dish washer, and plopped himself on the couch with a book. And that is where he'd been for hours now. Steve had asked him to go for a jog, go throw a ball around in the park. No interest. Tony tried offering to let him help pick paint jobs in some new robotics projects. Again, no go.

After a while, the men grew frustrated with their son.

"Peter, son," Steve said, sitting on the couch next to the boy.

"What gives?" Tony finished, propping up on the arm of the couch beside the boy. Peter looked up, first at Steve, then over to Tony. He knew he was not getting out of this conversation, so he closed the book.

"Did Aunt Mae tell you about the incident at school while you guys were at the mine thing?" Peter ask quietly.

"She mentioned it." Steve said, arms crossed. "She also mentioned that it was handled. Did something else happen?"

"Well-" Peter started.

"Peter Benjamin, spill it." Tony commanded firmly.

"It's that same Flash kid- honestly, I don't even know why he does it." Peter said, eyes to the floor.

"Well, me neither after you kicked his ass..."

"Tony!" Steve scolded. "Tell us what happened, bud." He wrapped an arm around the boy.

"Pops," Peter said, "I don't want to fight this kid anymore. Just punching him didn't work. And he talks about Mae now, too."

"Hold up- What?" Tony questioned. "What is wrong with this little shit?"

"He said I shouldn't hide behind her skirt tail, then he made some comments about how 'when she actually wears a skirt' and he had some... uh... pictures..." Peter's face burned red.

"The lingerie shoot for GQ, I'm guessing." Tony said dully. "So? Kid probably uses it to-"

"ANTHONY." Steve stopped his husband from making the insinuation. "It sounds like he is seriously jealous, son. You are a special kid. Your family is very well known. Your parents are super heroes. It's not a situation many people have been through before. I'm sorry that this Flash kid is so very, very envious that he feels the need to do these things, but I don't think you should let it get you down."

"Yeah, okay." Peter said quietly.

'Mr. Stark, I hate to interrupt but-' Jarvis said from overhead.

"Then don't?" Tony suggested, sighing. "Sorry, J, I didn't mean it. What's up?"

'Master Coulson wished to inform you that he and Ms. Potts are on their way to the hospital, sir. I believe the expression is 'It's time.''

At this, Peter's face did light up quite a bit. "Baby time?" He gasped, jumping up.

"Baby time." Steve nodded.

* * *

Madeline felt the familiar buzz of her phone in her pocket as she set up her station for the day. She huffed, laid down the equipment she'd been cleaning, and took the phone out of her back pocket and looked at the screen. She then groaned and powered the device off completely.

"I've watched you do that for 3 weeks now, and I am still so confused as to why you even turn it on." Dr. Banner sounded very amused from across the room, where he was setting his own equipment up for the day's patients.

"I get a daily text from my brother-in-law, and it lets me keep up with my family. Him seeing the message switch to 'read' lets him know I'm alive. It seems simple, I realize, but it works. Tony is a nutcase." She smiled, and snorted a bit in humor at her brother's expense.

"No, I remember..." Bruce said, quietly going back to his work. Maddie sighed and started to get back to what she was doing. She found that most of the time, as long as there were others in their little clinic to be helped, she quite enjoyed working with Bruce. But in the quiet, the mornings when they set up for the day, or the evenings before she went back to her rented flat and he took off to wherever it was he was staying, she could only feel the awkward cloud that fell over them. She wanted to tell him thank you for saving her life, but she was afraid, because she knew he knew what else the serum he'd helped Tony inject her with had done, and much like his own serum, it was not exactly as planned.

"Hey, Dr. Banner?" Maddie called after a few moments, biting her other lip nervously, waiting for the handsome brunette doctor to look up over the edge of his glasses.

"Dr. Stark?" He returned, pausing only briefly enough to glance her way then back to the lab results he was sorting into charts.

"Thank you." She made her statement definitive, firm. She then went back to sterilization mode and wiping down her measuring tools.

She noticed he had tensed at this, as he was seemingly uncomfortable with her presence in general when they were alone, no matter how 'thankful' he claimed to be to have someone of her specialty for his patients to see. She waited in the tense silence, hoping he'd say something. "Seems odd, to thank someone for..." He trailed off.

"I think life is like this though. We go through these things, and there is a reason. There has to be. Something that should have killed me, and it didn't. That has to be for a reason, ya know?" She clattered her steal measuring tools into the clean tray and picked up a reflex hammer to begin wiping down. "I have to keep thinking that. At some point in time- there will be a use for the starburst..."

"The 'Starburst'?" He ask, suddenly seeming more interested in what she was saying. Madeline snorted a bit and turned around, holding one hand up. She exhaled slowly and her hand began to glow faintly, then burst into bright green flames, controlled and staying within her palm. She rubbed her fingers over her thumb and extinguished the fire. Dr. Banner stood with his mouth slightly agape.

"Tony calls it the starburst. I can control it most of the time. The regulator implant above my ear-" She tapped at the new scar, which hair had started to cover again, "Helps me not to burn down. Chernobyl II, as it were." She shrugged.

"Is that from-" He seemed at a loss for words, and sputtered. "From me-"

"Yeah." She interrupted, seeing a great deal of guilt come across his face.

"Well, fuck." He whispered. "I- I-I'm sorry." He sputtered.

"Just another day in the life when you're a Stark, I'm afraid. If not this, Tones may have put my consciousness into an Iron Man suit, so believe me, this is better." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but Bruce did not budge.

"Your brother would do anything for you." He said dryly after a few moments of hardened silence.

"I know." She agreed.

"Then you should know that after next Wednesday, you will have everyone slated to need prosthetic fittings and wired in set. You should go home." He turned and started to exit the room.

"Is it my presence that annoys you, or the knowledge that you aren't the only one around who has been made into a green monster?" she called frustrated with the awkward conversation and constant cold treatment of her colleague. "I think I could fix your problem, you know." She said after a few moments of silence.

"Which one?" The other doctor replied with dry humor in his voice.

"Its heart rate, isn't it? The trigger that acts to catalyze for the change?" She found herself staring, maybe even admiring the man, who had frozen at her words. "You say it's anger. But it isn't- It can't be. The hormones associated with anger won't make the right chemical mix, alone. Heart rate growing too rapid would, though. Fear, anger, arousal..." She mused. "Hell, I bet laughing too hard would be a chance."

"I- uh- Yeah. No, yeah." He fumbled, embarrassed. "How-"

"Mine are the same." She laughed, giving a sort of 'duh' face.

"Oh." Banner said quietly. Madeline smiled.

"I could attempt to make you something like I have that could potentially-"

"I'm fine." He interrupted her.

"You like living alone without any of the best parts of life?" She retorted. He simply starred at her, then back down to his work.

"I think its better." He answered after a long pause.

"Hmm. Still think I could do it. Offer stands, even if you are trying to get rid of me." She turned on her heels and headed out of the room before he had time to reply. Madeline couldn't help but feel there was something that was preventing the other doctor from wanting to have control, almost like he was punishing himself by forcing to stay here, away from everyone and everything he'd known, his only obligation to the people of the rural area he was in.

Before she could make it the full length down the hallway, JARVIS spoke directly into her ear through the emergency communication link in her neural implant. 'Miss Stark, I hate to bother you, but you did say that if there way any important updates on your family, that you wanted to be informed'. The AI said.

"Is everyone alright?" She replied, continuing on her way to her room.

'Miss Potts and Agent Coulson's child has arrived, ma'am. Six pounds, eleven ounces. Twenty inches long.'

"Healthy?" She replied.

'Very.' JARVIS concluded.

"J- Can you please connect me on the Magic Mirror without leaving location open for Tony?" She requested. Magic Mirror was the Stark Industries version of Facetime, but allowed for 3D, almost holographic like communication. Unfortunately for Maddie, it required connecting to either Tony or Pepper's phones, and she was still not up for his overbearing routine.

'Online.' JARVIS said, scanning Madeline head to toe.

* * *

Tony had just handed his newborn niece back to her father when Madeline appeared in the corner of the room, projecting from Pepper's phone, on the shelf. Madeline was still in her room, watching everything her mirror clone could see on her phone. Tony jumped, but Steve, Pepper, Peter and Phil all seemed glad to see her.

"Madeline Mae Stark!" Tony's voice raised only slightly, then he cringed and looked over at the peaceful baby asleep on Phil's chest. "Where the hell are you?"

"Uh, hi." She replied, ignoring her brother's outburst. She crossed the room and leaned over to see her new niece. "Oh Pepper, she is just a dream." She cooed. "Do we finally get to know a name?"

"Well-" Pepper looked at Phil, then they smiled. "We told everyone. Her first name is Julie, after Phil's mom. But now that you are here to see his face... This is Julie Antonia Coulson."

"Awww..." Steve joked from the corner. Tony looked at Pepper with awe and tears in his eyes.

"Pep, really?" He said, hugging his best friend close.

"We wouldn't have even met if it weren't for you, Tones." Pepper replied. "It just seemed to fit, and it flows really well."

"It's perfect, Pepper." Steve said, laughing at his husband's emotion.

"Ah! I cannot wait to hold her!" Maddie gushed.

"Aunt Mae, where are you?" Peter said, finally speaking up. He had been sitting in the corner next to his Pops quietly.

"I'm working, buddy. Helping people." She replied, looking over to her nephew.

"That's what all of you always say..." He huffed. Steve shot him a look then cleared his throat.

"Well, sweetie, it is what we do." She replied without changing her tone. "I should be home in a couple weeks."

"Where are you, Mae?" Tony pleaded. She looked over at her brother and narrowed her eyes.

"Working." She replied again. Tony snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You should be here." He snapped back.

"No, I know where she is, and it is fine. Julie isn't going anywhere- other than home tomorrow." Pepper said, talking over Tony and ending their argument. Maddie looked over at her and gave her a thankful look, blew Pepper and Peter both a kiss, and disconnected.

Back in her room, she felt tears pressing a the backs of her eyes, and she closed them tightly and let a few escape and flow down her cheeks. Tony was right, she felt like she should be there with Phil and Pepper, with her family. But her mind still felt so heavy after her second near brush with death, she wasn't ready to deal with it just yet.

Madeline put her face in her hands and took a few deep breaths, which were interrupted by a knock at the door. She looked up and called for the source of the sound to come in.

"Sorry, I just- Uh..." Banner stammered, and scratched at the back of his thick, dark curls nervously. Maddie couldn't help but smile.

"It's fine." She assured him, and gestured for him to come into the room. "One of my family members had a baby today, or well, last night. I missed it."

"Oh, well Congrats to them!" He smiled in a small, shy way.

"Tony is pissed I missed it. And he's right, I shouldn't have. But I'm here for the same reason you are." She looked up at him, another tear escaping. "I'm running away from my problems too. And the best way to do that is to throw yourself headfirst into fixing other's problems." She shrugged her shoulder up and wiped the tear streaking down her cheek away. Banner came into the room and sat on the edge of her cot beside where she was in a chair.

"Yeah, it really is." He nodded. "But you're right. It's not fixing anything." He sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled sadly.

"I just wanted to apologize. The guilt- It'll eat you alive if you let it. I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He hung his head and looked down at his feet.

"Dr. Banner... Can I call you Bruce?" She ask.

"If I can call you Madeline." He replied, looking back up.

"Maddie." She offered, and he grinned in agreement.

"Alright. Bruce- I forgive you." She held out a hand.

"Thank you, Maddie." He nodded, looking overwhelmingly saddened but relieved. He took her hand and gripped it for a brief moment before letting go.

"And the offer still stands. I'd be glad to give it a whirl." She reminded him. Bruce simply nodded and left as awkwardly as he had came in, heading back down to see patients for the day.

* * *

 **Sorry it has been so long! Please review!  
Thanks for reading!**


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